Moscow concerned by work of U.S. biological laboratories near Russian borders

June 11 2015

Interfax

Interfax

Moscow is concerned over the presence of the Pentagon's medical and biological laboratories in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border.

Moscow is concerned over the presence of the Pentagon's medical and biological laboratories in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border.

"We are deeply concerned by the Pentagon's measures to place its medical and biological laboratories in the immediate vicinity of Russian borders, notably the so-called R. G. Lugar Center for Public Health Research on the outskirts of Tbilisi," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary.

This center, which has a high level of biological isolation, "houses a medical research unit of the U.S. Land Forces, which is a branch of the U.S. Walter Reed Army Institute of Research," the ministry said.

"The American and Georgian authorities are making efforts to conceal the true agenda and areas of the work of this U.S. army unit, which studies highly dangerous infectious diseases," it said.

"The Pentagon is trying to set up such disguised military medical and biological facilities in other states in the CIS space as well," the Russian ministry said.